Carma Laboratories, Inc.

Sigma provides water services at Carma Laboratories

franklin, wisconsin

Carma Laboratories, Inc. batch manufactures and packages Carmex which contains beeswax, lanolin, paraffin and petrolatum. Equipment used in the manufacturing process includes large mixing tanks of several hundred-gallon capacity and 10-quart pots (kettles). Between batches, tanks and kettles are cleaned to remove Carmex residue. The cleaning operations produce waste water with high levels of emulsified oil and grease. Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) and Carma sampling indicated that the waste water had oil and grease concentrations of approximately 2,000 mg/L, much higher than the discharge limit of 300 mg/L.

The Sigma Group assisted Carma Labs with meeting MMSD discharge limits by providing the following services:

Water Process Design

Carma required that the wastewater treatment fit in a relatively small area. Sigma took samples of Carma’s waste water and conducted testing to determine treatment alternatives. The alternatives were reviewed with Carma personnel and a system design and cost estimate were developed based on the alternative selected by Carma.

Regulatory Compliance

Sigma drafted and submitted the required Engineering Report to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Additional samples of Carma’s waste water discharge were taken and tested to verify initial test results.

Bidding Assistance and Review

Sigma developed equipment specifications for the wastewater treatment system which were provided to mechanical contractors with a P&ID for bidding. The bids were reviewed with Carma personnel to ensure completeness and that equipment selections met the design specifications.